


solid ground

by neyvenger (jjjat3am)



Category: Football RPF
Genre: M/M, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-03
Updated: 2015-04-03
Packaged: 2018-03-21 01:25:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3672297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jjjat3am/pseuds/neyvenger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jenko's car is at the repairs and Chambo goes to pick him up at the West Ham training ground. Banter ensues. Feelings are had.</p>
            </blockquote>





	solid ground

**Author's Note:**

> I finally wrote Carlamberlain, you guys. This isn't even my team what the hell. Partly inspired by [this picture](https://instagram.com/p/0-4aN1Os1K/?taken-by=alexoxchamberlain) on Chambo's instagram.
> 
> Written for kaguava on tumblr, because Joey is rad and he finished his essay on time.
> 
> Title is from 'Solid Ground' by Alex Vargas.

 

_‘you’re supposed to pick me up today. don’t forget’_

 

Alex looks back and forth between the message on his phone screen and the front door of West Ham’s training grounds parking lot, before taking a deep breath and starting the car. Hopefully Jenko remembered to ask the doorman to put him on the list, otherwise, the magazines will be full of gossip tomorrow.

 

Jenko had, apparently, because Alex gets in easily enough, even though the doorman does a double take and insists on checking his ID three times. He drives out into the parking lot just in time to catch Jenko coming out of the building in a group of players, laughing at some joke from Andy Carroll. Alex hadn’t even known Carroll could make jokes. But he can hardly pass up an opportunity to embarrass Jenko.

 

He grabs for a pair of sunglasses (it’s already nighttime, all they do is make him look like a douche) out of the glove pocket and pulls to a stop right in front of the group, rolling down the window.

 

“Excuse me, good sirs and madams, chauffeur service here for one Carl Geraldine Jenkinson,” he can do a faux-cockney accent reasonably well, but it seems to be lost on his quizzical audience.

 

Jenko just rolls his eyes and mutters: “Chambo, you donkey, you were supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago,” but he’s already opening up the car booth to throw his bag next to Alex’s. By experience, it’ll take him about 5 minutes to wrestle it inside. They both carry way too much stuff.

 

“Hey, Chambo,” Andy steps forward to shake his hand. “What are you doing here?”

 

“Oh, Jenko’s car is under repair again,” Alex raises his words to be heard over the curses from where Jenko is trying to get the bag into the too small booth, “he never learned how to use the clutch properly, apparently. I said I’d pick him up.”

 

“My car’s an automatic, Chambo,” Jenko yells from the back and judging by the booth slamming shut right after, he’d managed to fit in the bags. “Stop bothering, Andy, he’s just starting to like me.”

 

“Aww, is he?” he looks at Carroll, who nods, hesitatingly, looking like a deer caught in their banter. “God knows why. You’re terrible!”

 

“Shut up, or I’ll take the bus at this rate!” Jenko slips into the passenger seat, with a slowness that tells him he’s a bit sore from practice.

 

“Bus! I’d love to see that,” Alex laughs and rolls his eyes at Carroll, who’s still watching them with confusion. “You haven’t taken a bus in ten years!”

 

Jenko looks like he’s about to settle into an argument, but Carroll interrupts them both.

 

“Wow, the lads from the national team weren’t kidding when they said you were married.”

 

“Married?! Jenko is much too cheap to buy a ring!” Alex is thrown a bit and as retorts go, it’s not his best work. At the same time Jenko says:” Married?! Have you seen the size of his hands? No ring’ll fit him!”

 

“Excuse me? What did you just say about my hands?” Alex shakes them in the air in front of him as if to make a point. “I’ll have you know my hands are perfectly dainty!”

 

“Dainty? Have you been reading Jane Austen novels again? Those hammers are in no way dainty!”

 

It devolves into an argument. Of course, it does.

 

When they run out of steam, Carroll is waving at them from his car as it passes and the parking lot is almost empty. Alex rolls up the window and drives them out. Jenko waves at the doorman and wishes him a good night. He probably knows the guy’s name and how many kids he has because Jenko’s just like that. Alex tries to hide his smile.

 

“What are you smiling about?” Jenko asks, but there’s no heat in it and he smiles back.

 

“Nothing,” Alex turns his attention to the road, turning on the radio as an afterthought. “Just wondering when you’re getting me that ring.”

 

Jenko snorts but doesn’t say anything, settling into his seat with a sigh.

 

“Hard practice?” Alex asks, quietly.

 

“Yeah,” Jenko shifts in his seat letting his head fall back on the headrest. “You?”

 

“Mhm. I beat Theo in a sprint today.”

 

“Like shit you did!” Jenko knows him too well.

 

“No, I did!” He hadn’t. “Ask anyone!”

 

“I’m texting Gibbo right now,” Jenko pulls out his phone.

 

“Oh, I almost forgot. Wojciech made you a mixtape.”

 

“What?”

 

“Yeah, I don’t know either. He put it on a CD and everything. It’s on the back seat.”

 

“Who even uses CDs these days?” Jenko leans back to grab the small plastic case. “What’s on it?”

 

“Wojciech does, apparently,” Alex stops to curse under his breath at an old lady who’d just cut him off in her little Toyota. “I don’t know. Probably that [classical music/Nicki Minaj mash-up](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCwBMht4xtY) he likes so much.”

 

“I’m not even gonna ask.” Jenko turns the plastic case over in his hands and smiles at the undoubtedly crooked letters on it.

 

Alex doesn’t know what makes him say it.

 

“They miss you, you know.”

 

Jenko laughs, but it’s got an odd ring to it. When he looks up, their eyes meet briefly in the reflection of the car window.

 

“How about you? You miss me?” It’s a serious question, for a serious answer. Unfortunately, Alex isn’t very good at those.

 

“We live together, Jenko.” He bites his tongue after, but Jenko just snorts and looks away. He’s quiet for the rest of the car ride; no matter how many times Alex tries to start up a conversation.

 

They arrive at their house soon enough, dark except for where they’d forgotten to turn off the light in the bathroom. Now, they’ll gather their things from the car and walk in, and Alex will put their training clothes into the washing machine, while Jenko starts dinner, just like they do every evening. Then, they’ll have dinner together, and Alex will compliment the food, because Jenko blushes every time, and they’ll settle on the couch to watch a movie. If Alex plays his cards right, Jenko will let him rest his head on his lap as they watch it. They’ll go to bed early, maybe cuddle, maybe have sex, but they’ll fall asleep together. It‘s routine, but it’s good. Sometimes, Alex thinks it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to him, save for getting to play professional football.

 

Jenko reaches out to unlock the door. The streetlight casts dark shadows on his face and his shoulders are slumped like he’s exhausted.

 

Alex reaches out to grab his hand.

 

“I do miss you,” it all comes out in a rush because neither of them is really good at expressing their feelings. “I miss you in the dressing room. I miss you on the pitch. I always miss you when you’re not around.”

 

He’d have said more, but Jenko is already pulling him into a kiss, awkward as it is with the clutch between them.

 

“You’re such a sap,” Jenko says when they break apart. “It might earn you that ring yet. Also, Gibbo says you’re a liar and you’re slow.” With that, he opens the door and jumps out, calling at him to ‘be a darling and bring in the bags’.

 

Alex scrambles to catch up and this time there’s no hiding the smile on his face.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [tumblr.](http://neyvenger.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Kudos are loved, comments are treasured.


End file.
